Latest Ty Lue & Kawhi Leonard Remarks Hint at Potential Clippers Drama

There may be some locker room drama brewing in Los Angeles.

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The Los Angeles Clippers had another desultory performance on Tuesday, delivering one of their worst defensive showings of the season in their 135-118 loss against the Lakers. The Clippers consistently failed to find answers, getting carved up defensively on their way to their 11th loss in their last 13 games. With a -7.1 net rating, the Clippers are the sixth-worst team in the league through the first 18 games of the season.

To make matters worse, the Clippers seem to be on the brink of implosion. Their body language on defense was awful all game on Tuesday, making simple defensive mistakes due to lack of communication, concentration, and effort. Plus, Ty Lue and Kawhi Leonard's remarks suggest that they may be a deeper discontentment within the team.

A Clippers Locker Room Drama May Be Brewing

Before the Lakers game, Lue said, "When you lose your best player, a top 10 player when he's on the floor, it's hard to really make up for that. I know a lot of people say 'Next Man Up', but if he's making $60 million and your next man is making $400,000, it's not really the same." per The Athletic's Law Murray.

This could very well be interpreted as a subtle shot at Leonard. Not only because Leonard's actual reported salary is $50 million, but also because Lue is making it clear that a team's best player needs to be more available. It's no secret that Leonard has struggled with availability throughout his Clippers career, and Lue is acknowledging how difficult that makes his and the rest of the team's job.

The $400,000 player Lue is referencing here is likely Kobe Sanders, who is on a two-way contract but had to make a couple of starts in Leonard's absence. The fact that he has to play this large of a role for a team that was supposed to be one of the deepest teams in the league could also be read as a shot at the front office.

In return, Leonard had a criticism of his own after the Lakers loss. Murray shared a video on X of Leonard talking about how they need to change their defensive scheme to stop opposing stars from scoring, referring to how Luka Doncic scored 43 on them, only a few weeks after Nikola Jokic scored 55 against them. Leonard said that in order to improve their defense, they need to start making these offensive stars more passers than scorers.

This is in stark contrast to what Lue specifically said after Jokic's big game. He said the Clippers' defensive plan was to make him a scorer and he didn't think the three-time MVP would score 55.

Leonard is obviously not thrilled with where the team's defense is. His return wasn't able to fix anything, and his patience with Lue, and vice versa, may be running out. Whether there will be more subtle shots coming from either side will be fascinating to watch.